Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People

Makaibari tea estate is situated in a town called Kurseong in the district of Darjeeling. Kurseong means the land of the ‘white orchid’ in the local language. From the land of the white orchid is produced the exquisite ‘White Magnolia’. This tea is made from the delicate unopened leaves of the plant and undergoes the least processing among all the teas. This is the reason why the infused leaves seem to come alive again yielding the palest liquor yearning to be sipped. When it touches your lips, your palate comes alive with a light chestnut flavour. The sweet aftertaste lingers on forever.

Makaibari tea estate located in the foothills of the Himalayas is an organically certified tea estate where the tea is grown at an altitude of around 4500ft.

Bai Mu Dan tea is one of those teas that when I drink it … I think to myself: it’s been a long time since I’ve had a Bai Mu Dan. It may not actually have been that long, but, it’s one of those teas that I miss when a day or two has passed and I haven’t had it.

I love the sweet, delicate quality of a good Bai Mu Dan. And what makes this Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People different is that it is grown in the Darjeeling district, so I think that technically makes it a “Darjeeling” white tea, even though the leaves resemble a very high quality Bai Mu Dan. These aren’t those crumbly, brown leaves that some companies pass off as a Bai Mu Dan. These leaves are a gorgeous pale green, and if you look closely, you can see the soft, fuzzy down on these leaves. The leaves are large and beautiful.

My first sip of this tea evoked thoughts of the taste of a dewdrop, like what I might taste if I were to drink the dew off a fresh, new spring leaf. After that initial sip, I started to notice other flavors developing.

As the above description suggests, there is a light nutty flavor to this white tea, reminiscent of that creamy taste of a freshly roasted chestnut. There are slight notes of earth to this as well as a hay-like note and a background of delicious melon.

The overall taste is light and refreshing. It is sweet and relaxing to sip. A really beautiful white tea! If I were asked to list my all time favorite Bai Mu Dan teas, this one would land at the top of the list. It’s one I’d recommend to all the white tea fans out there.

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see.

Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog!

Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!